The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
by Sage of Hyrule
Summary: Why had fate chosen him? Surely there were others far more capable of this task than he. He wasn't anybody, really, just a boy from the forest. Nothing more...
1. Prologue

It was everywhere. The darkness only nourished the evil that crept at the edges of Hyrule, hungrily eating away at the light of the peaceful realm. It came slowly at first, only a small degree of power that pulsated through the air, sensed only by those sensitive to it. Gradually it increased as it passed through the land, through the mighty rivers and over the vast plains, and even into the secluded forest where no mortal dared to go. It was here that it reached the guardian spirit of the forest, a tall and mighty tree that towered above all else in that sacred realm.

"_The evil is rising. Hyrule is in grave danger… Navi, where art thou, Navi the Fairy?"_

"I am here, Great Deku Tree."

_"Navi, dost thou sense it? The climate of evil ascending upon this realm… It is threatening to the well being of Hyrule… Even my power stands as nothing against it."_

A slight shudder. "But Great Deku Tree, where does such power stem from?"

_"From the desert, that is what I feel. Navi, the time has come for the boy without a fairy to begin his quest. His destiny must be fulfilled, and now is the time… Bring him here, Navi, for my time within this realm runs short…"_

"Of course. I will hurry back with the boy." The fairy was unsure what the Deku Tree's last words meant, but the growing feeling ofdread that ran through her was enough reason to find the boy quickly. She set off, gentle wings fluttering against the warm springtime air to find the boy without a fairy, a boy with a future greater than anyone could have predicted.


	2. The Boy Without a Fairy

**A/N:** I am trying to align the timeline of this story with that of my other fic, _A Past Not Forgotten, _so we'll see how that turns out… Anyways, I wanted to write this because every time I play the game I think of things that Link would do, and this is the best place to put them. I am also writing this as I play the game so as to be more accurate. Well, have fun if you wish. I know I love writing this, and I hope you enjoy reading it just as much!

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Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Zelda, save for a few toys and the many, many posters that adorn my wall :) 

A flash of lightning illuminated the dark, rain-filled sky as the bridge fell. He stood in front of it, damp hair falling into striking blue eyes as he stared in wonder mixed with fear. A ball of light floated overhead as thunder rumbled from the other side of the bridge. The noise grew louder as a large creature made its way hurriedly across the strong wood, causing the small figure to jump out of the way. A slight glance and he caught the face of a young girl, terror plastered to her face as she clung to the white animal as it dashed into the darkness.

He didn't have time to think as a second figure approached, clad in black on the same kind of creature. It rose on its hind legs and let out a shrill sound as the man in black turned to face the boy, hand outstretched as his eyes glinted with evil in the dark night. Fear overtook him then as he willed his legs to move, but failed as he was frozen to the place in which he stood.

The boy awoke suddenly at the sound of his name being called again, and trembled as the remnants of the nightmare faded into the morning light that filtered through the makeshift window in his small tree house.

"Hey! Link, get _up!_" Navi sighed in frustration and wondered just how Hyrule was going to fare depending on such a lazy boy.

Link slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes, and turned to the voice that had saved him from his nightmare. Bright blue eyes widened in shock as they caught sight of the small fairy before him.

"Good, you are awake. I am Navi the fairy! Pleased to meet you, Link!"

Link only nodded in acknowledgement, still bewildered by the fact that a fairy had come to meet him. He had always been an outsider because he never had a fairy partner to call his own. Each day the children of the forest would remind him of that, teasing him and calling him names. Only one Kokiri stood apart, had actually defended him for all of those years. Link's only wish was to be accepted by the others, to be able to laugh with them and not worry about being different.

"Hello! Are you even listening to me?" Navi's voice cut through his thoughts once more.

He gave her a small smile and then sheepishly cast his eyes to the floor. "Yes, sorry."

"Anyways, I was saying that the Great Deku Tree wishes to speak with you. I am to be your partner until then, so we must hurry to meet him."

Link stared for a moment. Not only was he granted an audience with the father of the forest, but Navi was also to be his guardian fairy. Happiness swelled through him then—happiness that the other Kokiri would no longer have a reason to shun him, happiness that he may actually be respected. A slow smile spread across his face as the nightmare was forgotten, and Link jumped up to join his new partner. He covered his messy blond hair with a long green cap and pulled on his dark brown boots.

"Let's go, then! I can't wait to tell Saria the good news!" _And Mido, what will he say about this?_ He snickered to himself at the thought of the look on the bully's face when he saw that he was now fully one of them.

Link moved toward the entrance to his home, no more than a hollowed out tree set in a clearing of the vast forest. Upon reaching the balcony he heard a familiar voice call his name. He looked down to see a familiar girl running toward him, hair the color of the forest and blue eyes that shone with innocence. Her clothing was green as well, as was customary for the Kokiri.

"Good morning, Link!" the girl waved at him, motioning for him to join her. "Hi Saria!" Link quickly made his way down the wooden ladder, Navi following close behind, and stopped in front of Saria. Her eyes widened in surprise at the fairy that floated effortlessly at his side, and her face spread into a smile.

"This is Navi. She is my new guardian fairy! Cool, huh Saria?" Link proudly stuck out his chest as he introduced his new partner, grinning from ear to ear.

"That is so wonderful, Link! Now you are a true Kokiri!"

"That's not all! Navi says the Great Deku Tree wants to talk to me!" Navi nodded in agreement.

"Really? It's quite an honor to talk to the Great Deku Tree, so you'd better not keep him waiting. I'll wait here for you, so get going!" Saria waved as Link ran up the path and past the other houses toward the Deku Tree's meadow. As he passed, the other Kokiri stared as they caught sight of the fairy that accompanied Link. It seemed he had finally gotten a fairy of his own, but why now?

Link ran along the path surrounded by water to the entrance where the Great Deku Tree resided, only to be roughly knocked to the ground by a red-haired boy and his fairy.

"Mido, get out of the way. I need to see the Great Deku Tree!" Link frowned as he dusted himself off, and turned to face the bully that blocked his path. Mido only laughed at his demand, giving Link a taunting grin that spread across his freckled face.

"Yeah, right. Why would the Deku Tree want to talk to you, Mr. No Fairy, when he can talk to the Great Mido? I don't believe you."

Navi grew angry then, and flew into Mido's face. "What Link says is true! The Great Deku Tree himself has summoned him, and we need to see him right away!" Mido only glared at the fairy. "Oh yeah, and what makes him so special? Just who are you to tell me what to do anyways?" Link spoke up then, impatience beginning to get the best of him. "She's my partner now, Mido, so just move so we can get on with our business."

Mido seemed to be a little surprised at the word 'partner', but refused to let Link see. "Yeah, well even if what you say is true, you still aren't equipped to help him. You need a sword and a shield to pass, so until I see one, I'm not moving." There was only one sword in the forest, and Mido was certain that Link wouldn't be able to find it. He crossed his arms across his chest as Link frowned. "Fine. I'll be back with the sword, you'll see!" Link turned and dashed off in the opposite direction as Mido smirked to himself. "He'll never find it…"

Link ran until he was out of Mido's sight, and then slowed to a walk as he approached his house. Saria saw the look of disappointment on his face, and was about to ask what was wrong when Link told her why he couldn't enter the meadow.

"He says I need a sword and a shield before I go. It's not fair!" Link whined as Saria placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "He's right, you know. There have been strange things happening in the forest lately, and I think you should be ready for anything."

Link knew that Saria was always observant of the happenings in the forest, but didn't really pay attention to the connection it seemed to have with his dreams. "But where can I get that stuff? I don't know of any sword anywhere…" Saria thought for a moment, and then put her fist to her hand as she remembered a story the Deku Tree had told them long ago. "Do you remember Link? The Deku Tree once told us of a sword that lay hidden somewhere in the forest. I bet if you look around, you will find it! Don't worry, Link. I have faith in you." She gave him a smile then, and he returned it, confident once again that he could help their guardian somehow.

"Thanks Saria. Alright, let's go, Navi!" he turned and the pair made their way across the clearing, searching for the sword. "Link, I think I remember hearing that the sword was hidden somewhere on that hill. Why don't we go check it out?"

Without a second thought, the boy raced up the hill and through the fences until he came to a wall. "Look, Link! I bet it's in there!" Navi gestured to a hole in the rock just big enough for a child to crawl through. "Do you think you can make it?"

"I won't know until I try. Here goes!" Link got down on all fours and began to make his way through the small passageway. When he stood up he found another path that led to a small alcove carved in the face of the rock wall. Upon a stump sat a large chest that could have only contained the sword. Link's face lit up as he stood on the stump and pried open the chest. He shielded his eyes from a light that seemingly shone from nowhere until it was just a dim glow that reflected off of a smooth metal blade.

Navi flew to the boy's side, in awe at the magnificent weapon he now held. "It's the Kokiri Sword, Link! You'll have to practice with it a little before we…" "No time, Navi! We have to get to the Great Deku Tree!" With that Link rushed past her, Navi sighing in his wake as she hurried to catch up.

Link raced to the edge of the village, Navi fluttering not far behind, Kokiri Sword in hand and a newly carved shield strapped to his back. A very flustered Mido was all that stood in the pair's path.

"I…brought…the sword." Link panted, out of breath from his run.

Mido could do nothing but stare in amazement at the legendary sword that his least favorite person now held.

"N..Now wait just a second! You may have the sword, but there's no way a wimp like you could help the Great Deku Tree." Mido crossed his arms as his trademark smirk returned to his childish features.

Link frowned. "I don't care what you think, Mido. The Deku Tree summoned me, and I have to go talk to him whether you like it or not." With that the small boy pushed past the larger one, a look of determination etched onto his face. Mido could do nothing but stare in bewilderment as Link made his way to the Great Deku Tree's meadow.

Link walked through the small passageway that led to the resting place of the Guardian of the Forest. He had gone there on many occasions before, during the festivals that the Kokiri held throughout the year to celebrate the coming of seasons and the life that the Deku Tree had given them all. Never had he any reason to come alone, and so Link found himself a bit nervous about his meeting with the tree spirit.

His worries soon turned to surprise as something sprung from the ground and lunged at him. Out of reflex Link jumped back, sword and shield in hand as he gaped at the monster that threatened him. It was some sort of plant creature, roots embedded in the ground that did nothing to hinder its movements as its "head" gulped at the air. He couldn't tell if it could see where he was, much less if it had eyes at all, but his fears were confirmed as the monster made a dive for the space where Link had been standing seconds ago.

"Link! It's a Deku Baba! Cut at it after it leaps!" He heard Navi's voice as he continued to dodge the creature's wrath, and without a second thought brought his blade across the soft stem that connected it to the ground. The bud fell at Link's feet and shriveled into nothing as he stood, shocked at what had just happened.

Never in his ten short years of life had he seen anything as hostile as that thing in the forest. Link never really had to defend himself before, save for the time he accidentally stepped on a wasp's nest when he was younger, but even that was nothing compared to what he had just done. He continued to stare in disbelief until Navi's clear voice rang through his thoughts once again, and he only glanced back once before bounding after the impatient fairy.

As the pair made their way into the clearing, Link immediately sensed something was different. He couldn't quite place it, but something felt…wrong. Link pushed the thought to the back of his mind as he approached the gargantuan tree at the end of the large clearing, its roots dug deep into the surrounding ground. They came together to form a massive trunk, its circumference much larger than anything Link had ever seen. Its branches fanned out across the entire expanse of the meadow, bright green leaves coming together to filter the early morning sun. It had been as it always was here, but still Link couldn't rid himself of the feeling of dread that only grew as he approached the guardian.

"Link…thou hast arrived…" the voice was deep, and the thick branches shook slightly as the tree spoke.

"Yes Great Deku Tree, I am here." Link bowed his head a little out of respect, but noted the tone of pain in the tree's voice. This only made him more anxious.

The guardian wasted no more time as he proceeded to tell Link of the happenings that were taking place in Hyrule, and the connection they had with his dreams. Link listened intently, but only grew more confused as he wondered just what he had to do with it all.

"Link, I must test thy courage. I have been cursed, and I need thou to use thy strength to dispel it. Can ye do it?" Link was taken aback. If the Great Deku Tree couldn't stop the curse, then what could he do?

The tree seemed to sense Link's doubt. "Link, thou may not believe in thy strengths just yet, but in time ye shall realize thy courage. Ye must believe in thyself, Link, for only thou hast strength enough to save Hyrule." Link gulped and nodded slowly, not understanding how someone like him could be so important.

"Now enter, brave Link, and thou as well Navi. Ye must help one another in order to dispel of the curse." Navi nodded, and Link quickly followed suit, a wave of determination washing over him as he glanced at his new partner. He would do whatever it took to help the Great Deku Tree, no matter what.

Link slowly stepped forward as part of the tree's trunk lowered itself, creating a dark entrance in the face of the colossal tree. He peered into the opening, hand on the hilt of his sword as he began to make his way into the dark depths. Navi was at his shoulder, and neither of them could have guessed just how serious the events at hand were as they descended into the darkness.

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A/N: Well, so far so good, I think. Dialogue needs work, I know, and I think the entire chapter felt a little rushed, but I'll leave that up to you to decide. Anyways, the first chapters might be a little dull I am afraid, as jumping into the story is one of the hardest parts for me. Hopefully as it goes on it will get better. You can also check out my other fic if you haven't already, and maybe leave a word of wisdom or two. Thank you so much for reading, and I'll try to update as soon as I can! 

Sage


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